Beloved Essay
Throughout history there have always been boys who strive to be men. Achieving manhood is so important to boys. In Beloved by Toni Morrison, Paul D, one of the main characters, focuses his energy on trying to obtain real manhood. He once believed his slave owner at Sweet Home, Mr. Garner, who said that he was a man because he was one of his slaves. He lived out his life wondering if what Mr. Garner said was a man was true. However, Mr. Garner’s definition of a man was a false idea. Until Sethe came into his life, Paul D never truly had possession of his manhood, it had only been an idea Mr. Garner put in his head. The Sweet Home men were really no different than other slaves. Mr. Garner, no matter how well he treated his slaves, was still a slave owner. The Sweet Home men could not be men because they had no freedom. One cannot be a man without his freedom. He cannot have the proper authority and be recognized when he is a slave and is still thought of as below human. Another reason why they are not truly men is the fact that The Sweet Home men were never considered actual men outside of Sweet Home. “…they were only Sweet Home men at Sweet Home.